New dx Myofascial Pain Syndrome as cause of back pain--what do you think?
Hi, it’s Maggie.
I haven’t visited the boards in a long time, because one bad thing happened, and then that caused a series of bad things to happen.
I am actually in the process of writing about them to all of you to share, and ask for help and advice, but it’s taking me too long.
But I have missed all of you. You—and this community—are a blessing.
So I decided my painstaking update can wait (duh)!
, because most immediately, I want to post about myofascial pain syndrome.
I first wrote to you about my terrible, debilitating chronic back pain—I think it was in my first post—and so many of you offered advice and support, and several of you shared that you, too, suffered from back pain.
First, for all of you who wrote me that your back issues were unresolved, I wanted to tell you about this condition in case the information could help you find a diagnosis and some relief--I hope!
I finally got to see a physiatrist/rehabilitation specialist who works with patients who have MS, ALS, and Parkinson’s at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
OMG, as my eight-year-old daughter would say! He took the time to watch me walk and to look at and feel my back!
And he diagnosed me with myofascial pain syndrome. As he explained it, I ended up with a high level of spasticity in my arms and legs after my first big relapse in 2013, and that went untreated.
And as a result, over time, I used my back muscles to compensate for what my arms and legs couldn’t do, or couldn’t do smoothly—walk, climb, lift, carry, even type!
And then, because of that overuse of my back muscles for a year and a half, at the beginning of 2015, I started to have severe and worsening back pain, in the muscles from the middle of my back down to the lower back, and he says that the pain in my back is caused by myofascial pain syndrome (which developed secondary to my MS).
It is essentially described as a chronic pain disorder that affects the connective tissue covering the muscles (in my case, in my back!). It causes persistent pain that can be disabling (as, again, in my case!).
He recommended routine trigger point injections accompanied by Aquatic Physical Therapy three times a week to slowly stretch the affected muscles and give me pain relief.
He said that he thought after three months of this, I could move on to “on the ground” Physical Therapy to build strength and start really addressing the core problem of spasticity.
He said the trigger point injections and the physical therapy (or at least my continuing to do the exercises at home) might be a lifelong thing.
But of course, that didn’t bother me at all. I was just SO RELIEVED to finally have a diagnosis that made sense of my pain, that validated it was “real” and not “all in my head,” and that offered me a way to relieve it and actually improve my functioning.
He even said he thought that within six months to a year of following this program I might be able to work again--and if not that, live without constant crushing pain (which would be a victory in itself!), and build enough flexibility and strength to regain so much of the quality of life and activities of daily living that I’ve lost.
I also want to check in and see if any of you have been diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome, and if so, how did you cope, or how are you coping?
Thank you all, and again, I have missed you, and am grateful for all your help,
Maggie
I haven’t visited the boards in a long time, because one bad thing happened, and then that caused a series of bad things to happen.
I am actually in the process of writing about them to all of you to share, and ask for help and advice, but it’s taking me too long.But I have missed all of you. You—and this community—are a blessing.
So I decided my painstaking update can wait (duh)!
, because most immediately, I want to post about myofascial pain syndrome.I first wrote to you about my terrible, debilitating chronic back pain—I think it was in my first post—and so many of you offered advice and support, and several of you shared that you, too, suffered from back pain.
First, for all of you who wrote me that your back issues were unresolved, I wanted to tell you about this condition in case the information could help you find a diagnosis and some relief--I hope!
I finally got to see a physiatrist/rehabilitation specialist who works with patients who have MS, ALS, and Parkinson’s at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
OMG, as my eight-year-old daughter would say! He took the time to watch me walk and to look at and feel my back!
And he diagnosed me with myofascial pain syndrome. As he explained it, I ended up with a high level of spasticity in my arms and legs after my first big relapse in 2013, and that went untreated.
And as a result, over time, I used my back muscles to compensate for what my arms and legs couldn’t do, or couldn’t do smoothly—walk, climb, lift, carry, even type!
And then, because of that overuse of my back muscles for a year and a half, at the beginning of 2015, I started to have severe and worsening back pain, in the muscles from the middle of my back down to the lower back, and he says that the pain in my back is caused by myofascial pain syndrome (which developed secondary to my MS).
It is essentially described as a chronic pain disorder that affects the connective tissue covering the muscles (in my case, in my back!). It causes persistent pain that can be disabling (as, again, in my case!).
He recommended routine trigger point injections accompanied by Aquatic Physical Therapy three times a week to slowly stretch the affected muscles and give me pain relief.
He said that he thought after three months of this, I could move on to “on the ground” Physical Therapy to build strength and start really addressing the core problem of spasticity.
He said the trigger point injections and the physical therapy (or at least my continuing to do the exercises at home) might be a lifelong thing.
But of course, that didn’t bother me at all. I was just SO RELIEVED to finally have a diagnosis that made sense of my pain, that validated it was “real” and not “all in my head,” and that offered me a way to relieve it and actually improve my functioning.
He even said he thought that within six months to a year of following this program I might be able to work again--and if not that, live without constant crushing pain (which would be a victory in itself!), and build enough flexibility and strength to regain so much of the quality of life and activities of daily living that I’ve lost.
I also want to check in and see if any of you have been diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome, and if so, how did you cope, or how are you coping?
Thank you all, and again, I have missed you, and am grateful for all your help,
Maggie